Description:

Psychosocial Determinants of Cardiovascular Disease: Characterizing Risk with Diana A. Chirinos, Ph.D.

Psychosocial factors are important predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Depressive symptoms, in particular, are associated with CVD endpoints and cardio-metabolic conditions. The presentation of depressive symptoms in adults, however, is highly heterogeneous. A better characterization of the depressive symptom profiles that are most closely related to CVD risk is needed in order to design targeted prevention and intervention efforts. In this talk, the following questions will be addressed: 1) What is the most common presentation of depressive symptoms in adults, and how does it relate to CVD risk?, 2) What are the biobehavioral pathways underlying this association? Further, the impact of acute stressful life events, such as bereavement, on psychosocial factors and cardiovascular risk will be discussed.